EP #162 What Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy Does For Breathing Sleep And Teeth

Mouth breathing can look harmless until you connect it to snoring, restless sleep, orthodontic relapse, and the daily grind of never feeling fully rested. We sit down with Angela Richwine from Renew Myo (formerly Central Virginia OMT) in Fredericksburg, VA to talk about orofacial myofunctional therapy and why the tongue, lips, and facial muscles can shape far more than a smile. If you’ve ever wondered why braces “don’t stick,” why a child sleeps like they’re fighting the sheets, or why snoring shows up out of nowhere, this conversation gives you a new lens.Angela breaks down the basics in plain language: the goal is training and retraining the muscles of the mouth and face so the tongue can rest on the palate, the lips can stay closed at rest, and nasal breathing can become the default. We talk through the signs parents and caregivers can spot without any equipment, including open-mouth posture, picky or noisy chewing, frequent burping from swallowing air, attention issues, bedwetting, and speech clues that may signal tongue function problems. She also explains tethered oral tissues like tongue ties and why “they can stick their tongue out” is not a real assessment.One of the most powerful moments is a child case story where sleep and bedwetting improve within months through myofunctional therapy combined with the right referrals, including ENT evaluation and orthodontic palatal expansion. We also dig into common misconceptions, what a thorough evaluation looks like, and how Renew Myo coordinates care with dentists, orthodontists, speech-language pathologists, and other providers, sometimes using CBCT imaging to better understand airway and jaw health.Follow Renew Myo on Instagram and Facebook (search Renew Myo or Central Virginia OMT), check out the self-quiz at www.centralvirginiaomt.com, or call 540-369-6044. If this helped you connect the dots, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review so more families can find the support they need.Angela RichwineRenew Myo [email protected]